The Wall Street Journal looks at Bill Clinton's tendency to veer away from Barack Obama's message about Mitt Romney. The former president, according to the article, wants to talk about Romney's policy, whereas the current president wants to talk about Romney's past.

The idea that Bill Clinton is somewhat unpredictable as a campaign surrogate isn't new, as his wife can attest.

But the differences this year between the two approaches, according to the article, are significant because they represent divergent views of what the public discourse in the election should be about, with Clinton making the more substantive argument.

While the debate about how to attack Romney unfolds in public, the need to attack him seems well settled. As John Heilemann of New York magazine reported last week, Obama's campaign believes they have to run for re-election by destroying Romney's credibility, rather than talking about what Obama has accomplished while in office.

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Events

Andrew Cuomo is in New York City and has no public schedule.

11:30 a.m. Michael Bloomberg speaks at the New York City Global Partners Summit, at 140 West 62nd Street. (It will be streamed live here.)

6 p.m. Bloomberg hosts a reception for National Puerto Rican Day Parade, at Gracie Mansion.

2012

Bill Clinton goes off message because he wants Barack Obama to attack Mitt Romney's policies, not his work in private equity. [Peter Nicholas and Laura Meckler]

"I think what happened with Clinton yesterday was that he said something that political reporters, doing their jobs right, should have realized wasn't controversial [or] majorly out of step with the White House or the Obama campaign at all," said TPM reporter Brian Beutler. [Current TV]

"Total utter dishonesty": Chris Matthews said Republicans are manufacturing a conflict between Clinton and Obama. [Hardball]

"First, they went after the large sodas. Now, they’re coming for the jumbo food carts." [David Seifman]

"[Bloomberg's] own survey before launching the plan found a majority of New Yorkers weren’t sweet on the idea." [Sally Goldenberg]

Nine-hundred twenty-five non-profit groups will lose $38 million in property-tax exemptions after failing to respond to city inquiries. [David Seifman]

The Bloomberg administration and the United Federation of Teachers are trying to find a way to replace arbitrators, nearly half of whom "have quit in recent weeks." [Lisa Fleisher]

Policing

Being charged with a misdemeanor after following a police officer's orders "is wrong," said State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. [Thomas Kaplan]

A lawyer said there is footage of an officer from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights assaulting a man in handcuffs. (The officer is also accused of striking a judge.) [William Rushbaum]

Little Gulp

"The drink also happens to be an important exception to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposed ban…" [Aaron Edwards]

Healthy Hospitals

An advocate for low-income people said she was "concerned about the antitrust implications" of the proposed merger of the N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners. [Anemona Hartocollis]

On Air

Eliot Spitzer: "When somebody can't be trusted, he should not be president." [Current TV]

Al Sharpton on Wisconsin: "Folks, 70 percent of the people who voted last night didn't think there should be an election." [Politics Nation]

Watching Wisconsin: "Given such blatantly partisan coverage, it was absolutely impossible to watch either network and gain any clear understanding of the actual significance of the event, much less what effect it would actually have on the 2012 presidential election." [Dylan Byers]